The Shen Family Photo Shoot (Part I)

Last weekend the Shens and I braved the ominous rain clouds and began our family photo adventure. It required a little caravaning and off road hiking through the mud to reach our destination. Not long after we started, droplets of water started hitting our cheeks. Believe it or not, these photos were shot in the rain with me holding the camera in my right hand while extending a jacket over it in my left hand. After a bit, I called it a day and postponed the second half of the shoot for another, less wet experience. :)

Uncharted 2 Trailer (Video Game Awards)

Our first Uncharted 2 trailer is out.

Uncharted 2 announced...

We'll, its official. We've just announced publicly what we've been working on at Naughty Dog. We're really excited about it. I can't say too much more about it at this time, but rest assured, it's going to kick butt. :)

Look for an in depth article in the January issue of GameInformer.

More photos from Sarah and John's wedding!

We have more photos from Sarah and John's wedding to show! Rustin Cerveny came along to shoot their wedding with me. He's a kick butt photographer and a ton of fun to shoot with. And he just had a baby! (hence his catching up with blogging).

Take a look...

RMC Photography

Chase's One-year-old Birthday Shoot

Its finally Chase's turn. We celebrated his one year birthday in the Bahamas. Not a bad backdrop for his one year photo shoot. Here's to you, little guy...

(written by Judy)

This was an especially memorable trip for me because Chase turned the big ONE while we breathed in the Paradise Island of Atlantis. The little man is truly blessed to be so loved and adored by his daddy, sister, extended family and friends, and most devoted fan, me (*smile*). He is also lucky to be the second born because I have lowered my standards of cleanliness exponentially with him relative to Jaelin. Though I still suffer all the anxiety associated with watching my little boy crawl where dirty shoes & trash have been, dig his little fingers through vents that lead to God knows what, and squeeze mushy objects in his pudgy hands until they explode all over his dashing outfit, the difference is I hold that anxiety internally rather than express it through any action or behavior. Yes. He is lucky that his mother is tired enough to simply watch with horror. Those who know me well - you can appreciate how tired I must be!

We really needed this trip. We needed to regroup and at the same time, unwind. We needed to just be with each other with no agenda - no tasks to accomplish, no appointments to keep, no meals to prep or clean up after, no traffic to beat, no laundry to do, nothing to clean. It was heaven. We woke up to the calming sound of waves crashing ashore, the magnificent air rejuvenating our souls. We reconnected our spirits and recentered our self on the basic, core values of love and life - that is, until we realized that even a plain hamburger with no works cost $12! The island friends (waiters) sang Chase the most powerful birthday song you only hear in expensive theaters. As his proud mom, I was bursting with fruit flavors. Unfortunately, Chase was not accustomed to a bunch of strangers crowding his space, hovering over his head and singing at the top of their lungs. So it frightened him into a wail of tears. Nevertheless, I will always remember all the love and kindness showered on my little boy on his big day...and the gigantic manta rays that glided past us as he ate his first birthday cake.

Chase is a dream. He is love. When you lie down on the ground, he plots himself onto you with all his weight and affection. He is all smiles. He purposefully wrinkles his nose when he laughs. He asks for kisses by crashing his head into yours. He loves the challenge of multiple pacifiers. He savors them the way Gollum would his "Precious." He reaches out to hold Jaelin's hand when they sit in their carseats. He likes to dump toys out of bins and eat his books. And the icing on the cake? He even loves to eat! He will try just about anything and especially the crumbs he finds off the floor. He insists on feeding himself. He is all about dirt, mess, and independence. He is danger and accidents. He is sweet, sweet, so very sweet. Our lives are full and complete with his arrival. At a mere twelve weeks while in my womb, they broke my heart and crushed my spirit with the news that he may not be a healthy baby. Chase's presence is a gift. He has been my healing. Happy ONE-year-old, my little Chasey! Mommy loves you beyond measure.

Chase loves helping push the stroller.







He's magnetically drawn to stairs and all dangerous objects.











The sleepy boy in his favorite chair.

Paradise Island, Bahamas (Atlantis)

Over Chase's birthday week at the end of October, we were able to steal away and get 10 days of R&R at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas. All I can say is...WOW! This place was amazing. Where else can you get the best of Vegas, Sea World, a killer water park, and the beaches of the Caribbean all in one place?

Views from our balcony...









The kids exploring. It took us almost 4 days to explore the whole place.






One of the water slides started at the top of this pyramid and shoots you down through a glass tube in the middle of a shark tank.




Here is a slower inner-tube version that goes through the shark tank.





Ready to hit the waves.




The girls loved posing for the camera.




Look at Jaelin's exuberant facial expression. She had a blast on the slides.

Jaelin exploring the underground Dig Aquarium.

Chase is all business when it comes to getting dirty.

Chase, performing a comedy act.




Chase turned one-year-old on this trip. We took him to a special restaurant to celebrate. The restaurant was surrounded by glass looking into the giant aquarium.



The "ladies man" getting a little more love than he can handle.





Chase looking out from the bedroom balcony.







The two guys bonding over cars and sports.










Jaelin being a "Gap" model on the beach. She found a stick in the sand and carried it with her the rest of the trip.




Walking through one of the shark encounters.














Jaelin sailing on a catamaran.





One of the million dollar glass sculptures displayed in the casino. The scale of this thing doesn't come through in the photo. It was about 10 feet wide. This was the moon. They also had an incredibly ornate one called the sun.




This sea horse was almost two stories tall.









Lounging in front of the kids' lagoon (Jaelin in the background with her proud belly).





Breakfast with a view.




Above the Dig Aquarium. You can see one of the 8 foot manta rays below.




Here were the two giant manta rays. We were completely in awe of these two beautiful creatures. They were so graceful as they slowly glided through the water.















Our room was located on the left side of the "bridge" that connected the two large towers.